Security Bag

ABSTRACT

A security bag for transporting valuables, in particular, banknotes, comprises an access opening to an inner area of the security bag and a closing device for closing the access opening. The security bag is permeable to air and liquid in a first area and consists of a plastic foil in a second area, wherein the access opening and the closing device are formed in the plastic foil. The air- and liquid-permeable first area is thereby formed by a non-woven or woven plastic material.

The invention concerns a security bag for transporting valuables, in particular, banknotes, having an access opening to an inner area of the security bag, and a closing device for closing the access opening, wherein the security bag is permeable to air and liquid in a first area, and consists of a plastic foil in a second area, and wherein the access opening and the closing device are formed in the plastic foil.

Valuables are usually transported while packed in a tightly sealed security bag which is filled and closed by the sender. The security bag has a closing means with many different integrated manipulation indicators. In this fashion, the receiver of the security bag can detect whether the security bag was opened during transport and/or whether somebody tried to access the valuables inside the security bag through applying heat, cold, liquid or vaporous substances or chemicals etc.

A security bag usually consists of a plastic foil that is impermeable to air and liquid, is designed in two layers, and is sealed, in particular, welded at its edges to form the bag. A liquid dye that cannot be washed out, in particular, an ink is conventionally sprayed onto the security bag in response to manipulation or robbery. In order to ensure that the liquid dye acts on the valuable or banknotes and dyes them, the security bag must initially be opened. In conventional security bag transport devices, this is realized through one or more integrated heating or glow wires and/or a heat cartridge that cuts or melts open the plastic foil of the security bag. This, however, could inflame the content of the security bag and cause a fire.

EP 0 788 081 B1 discloses a security bag which consists of a non-woven material and is therefore permeable to air and liquid. This security bag need not be opened prior to spraying of the liquid dye. This is, however, disadvantageous in that it is not possible to reliably mount a closing device with manipulation indicators to the non-woven material. Marking for identification and tracing of the security bag is also difficult. Printing onto the non-woven material is possible, but the printed image is not sharp due to the irregularities of the surface of the non-woven material, and automated identification or detection of the information, i.e. optical and/electronic detection of the information is not possible.

EP 0 105 581 A2 describes a bag that consists of a thermoplastic synthetic foil and is perforated in sections. The bag is therefore permeable to air and liquid in the perforated area and the closing device can be formed in the non-perforated area. This design is, however, disadvantageous in that passage of the liquid is possible only in the relatively small perforated area.

It is the underlying purpose of the invention to provide a security bag for transporting valuables, in particular, banknotes, which permits arrangement of a secure closing device and also reliably ensures dying of the valuables or banknotes.

This object is achieved with a security bag having the characterizing features of claim 1.

The invention is based on the fundamental consideration of forming the security bag from at least two differently structured materials. In a first area, the security bag consists of a non-woven plastic material or woven plastic material which is permeable to air and liquid. In a second area, the security bag consists of a plastic foil which is preferably impermeable to air and liquid. This structure is advantageous in that the liquid dye can penetrate through the liquid-permeable non-woven or woven plastic material over a large surface in the security bag, without having to previously melt or cut it open. On the other hand, the second area that consists of the plastic foil and in which the access opening and the closing device are formed, ensures that a conventional closing device with manipulation indicators may be used which reliably shows whether an attempt was made to open the bag.

The security bag may have further areas of other materials. The security bag preferably consists of only the first area in the form of the non-woven or woven plastic material which is permeable to air and liquid, and the second area in the form of the plastic foil, with only these two areas forming the security bag.

The security bag conventionally has a lower layer and an upper layer which are disposed on top of each other and connected to each other along the edge to form an inner area, wherein the slitted access opening is formed in the upper layer. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the lower layer of the security bag consists completely of the non-woven or woven plastic material. The lower part of the upper layer of the security bag, facing away from the access opening, preferably also consists of the non-woven or woven plastic material while the rest of the upper layer consists of the plastic foil. In this fashion, more than 50% and, in particular, more than 70% of the surface of the security bag is formed from the air- and liquid-permeable non-woven or woven plastic material, such that the liquid can penetrate into the security bag over a large surface.

In one embodiment of the invention, the first area and the second area may both consist of the same basic plastic material such that the bag can be easily recycled. In this case, the first area is, in particular, a non-woven or woven material from polyethylene fibers and the second area a polyethylene foil. It is, however, also possible to provide a non-woven material of polypropylene for the first area and to form the second area from a polypropylene foil. The non-woven or woven material may thereby consist of a so-called core-sheathed fiber material which is formed from a plastic core fiber, e.g. of PET, and is completely surrounded by a sheathing of polyethylene or polypropylene.

The security bag is formed by overlapping the air- and liquid-tight plastic foil of the second area with the air- and liquid-permeable non-woven or woven plastic material of the first area, and the materials are welded together. Alternatively, the two areas may be glued together or sealed on top of each other.

The access opening formed in the second area or in the plastic foil is designed, in particular, as a conventional slit which may be completely covered by the closing means. The closing means may thereby be designed in a conventional fashion as a sealing tape into which the manipulation indicators are integrated.

The use of a smooth, air- and liquid-tight plastic foil for the second area permits, in particular, printing of information, e.g. a bar code and/or numbering, in the second area, which permits optical and/or electronic detection and whose printed image is designed such that it can be reliably detected, read and registered.

Further details and features of the invention can be extracted from the following description of an embodiment with reference to the drawing, wherein the single figure shows a perspective view of a schematic representation of an inventive security bag.

A security bag 10 as shown in the figure has two layers, wherein a lower layer 11 is completely formed from an air- and liquid-permeable non-woven plastic material 28 or a woven plastic material. The lower part 13 of the upper layer 12 of the embodiment shown also consists of the air-and liquid-permeable non-woven plastic material 28 of the lower layer 11, whereas the upper part of the upper layer 12 is formed by a smooth, air- and liquid-tight plastic foil 14. Thus, the security bag 10 is formed from a first area A which comprises the entire lower layer 11 and approximately the lower half or the lower two thirds of the upper layer 12 and consists of the air- and liquid-permeable non-woven plastic material 28 and from a second area B which comprises the remaining part of the upper layer 12 and consists of the air- and liquid-tight plastic foil 14.

A slit 15 is formed in the second area B or the smooth, tight plastic foil 14 substantially parallel to the upper edge 21 of the security bag 10 and at a separation thereof, wherein the slit 15 represents an access opening to the inner area of the security bag 10 and can be completely covered. and closed by a sealing tape 16 which is only schematically shown. At least one manipulation indicator may be integrated in a conventional fashion in the sealing tape 16 and/or the plastic foil 14.

Information 17, e.g. a bar code, that can be optically and/or electronically detected may be printed onto the second area B or the smooth, tight plastic foil 14. The information 17 may also be disposed on a glued-on label or be stored in a mounted electronic chip.

For forming the security bag 10, a strip of an air- and liquid-permeable non-woven plastic material 28 is folded forming a lower edge 18, such that the longitudinal edges 19 and 20 are disposed on top of each other, but in the upper section facing away from the lower edge 18, part of the lower layer 11 projects and remains free. A blank of the air- and liquid-tight plastic foil 14 is disposed onto this free part and is welded. The blank forming the second area B is then connected in the area of the upper edge 21 of the security bag 10 via a weld seam 22 to the lower layer 11. The blank forming the second area B is moreover connected at its longitudinal edges to the lower layer 11 via weld seams 23 and 24. On its inner edge facing the center of the security bag 10, the blank is welded via a weld seam 25 to the part 13 of the non-woven plastic material 28 of the upper layer 12. The part 13 is moreover welded at its longitudinal edges 19 and 20, via weld seams 26 and 27, to the lower layer 11 of the same blank disposed below. In this fashion, the security bag 10 is closed from all sides and the transition between part 13 of the air- and liquid-permeable non-woven material 28 and the blank forming the second area is undetachably connected by the weld seam 25 such that the only access to the inner area of the security bag is via slit 15. 

1-13. (canceled)
 14. A security bag for transporting valuables or banknotes, the security bag comprising: a first area permeable to air and liquid, said first area made from a non-woven or woven plastic material; and a second area made from a plastic foil, said plastic foil having an access opening to an inner region of the security bag and means for closing said access opening.
 15. The security bag of claim 14, wherein the security bag consists essentially of said first area and said second area.
 16. The security bag of claim 14, wherein the security bag is formed in two layers with a lower layer consisting essentially of said non-woven or woven plastic material.
 17. The security bag of claim 16, wherein an upper layer of the security bag consists essentially of said non-woven or woven plastic material in a region facing away from said access opening.
 18. The security bag of claim 14, wherein said first area and said second area are made from a same plastic material.
 19. The security bag of claim 18, wherein a non-woven material or a woven material of polyethylene fibers is used for said first area and a polyethylene foil is used for said second area.
 20. The security bag of claim 18, wherein a non-woven material or a woven material of polypropylene fibers is used for said first area and a polypropylene foil is used for said second area.
 21. The security bag of claim 19, wherein said non-woven or woven material consists essentially of a fiber material with sheathed core.
 22. The security bag of claim 20, wherein said non-woven or woven material consists essentially of a fiber material with sheathed core.
 23. The security bag of claim 14, wherein said non-woven or woven plastic material of said first area is welded, sealed or glued to said plastic foil of said second area.
 24. The security bag of claim 14, wherein said access opening is a slit formed in said plastic foil.
 25. The security bag of claim 24, wherein said closing means is a sealing tape which completely covers said slit.
 26. The security bag of claim 14, wherein at least one manipulation indicator is integrated in said closing means.
 27. The security bag of claim 14, wherein machine-readable information can be printed onto said plastic foil. 